What is Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the enforcement agency for this statute, issued guidelines in 1980 defining sexual harassment in employment (Title VII). The University has adapted these guidelines to address sexual harassment in education (Title IX).

Generally, sexual harassment may be defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

• Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of the individual's employment or of the individual's status in a program, course, or activity, or;
• Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment decisions, a criterion for evaluation or, a basis for academic or other decisions affecting such individual; or
• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or educational experience or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or educational environment.

The guidelines serve as the basis of most of the case law on sexual harassment developed over the past years. Additional information about the following subjects can be obtained by contacting the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance in Cope Administration Building, Room 116:

1. Court cases
2. Elements of sexual harassment
3. Conditions of sexual harassment
4. Categories of sexual harassment
5. Levels of sexual harassment
6. Victims of Sexual harassment
7. Types of harassment and
8. Other information.